Skype is a Great Communication and Marketing Tool Until…
I love using Skype for business. It is great for communicating, building relationships, screen sharing, conferencing, and increasing your network of friends, fans, and followers.
This is exactly what I was doing one day a few weeks ago when WHAM! I was thrown off Skype.
My first instinct was that I was thrown off the Internet, not an uncommon occurrence with my Internet connection. So I tried to sign on again to Skype.
It didn’t recognize my password. I tried again. Same result. By now I suspected that something was not right.
My first reaction when confronted with the inability to log into a site I have been logging into for years is user-error, so I attempted the “forgot my password” option.
However, at about the same time I noticed an email coming in from Skype letting me know that I had successfully changed my email to an email that WAS NOT MINE!
After I finished screaming and throwing things, I contacted a business associate of mine who suggested I reach out to Julie Wolf, Skype Mentor, Coach and Expert.
Julie (gotta love that name) held my hand and walked me through the entire process, albeit a bit tedious because of the nature of hacking and its consequences, until I had successfully recovered my hacked Skype account from that nasty person posing as me.
My hacker was asking all my contacts to send “me” bitcoins while he/she tried to hack their account as well. Luckily only one other person was hacked and no one was financially hurt by this theft. Which brings me to how I was hacked…
A Skype contact I have been networking with for years asked me to please check out his new blog and said he wasn’t sure if it was working.
I clicked on the link where I was asked to log into Skype. Now, as this contact does programming, I didn’t suspect it wasn’t actually him. I told him that it took me to Skype login and he wrote back, “That’s ok, go ahead and log in”.
This did not sound unlike this person so I did and WHAM! That’s when I was hacked.
Lesson learned – NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!
I immediately found this same person on Facebook and told him what happened. He told me that HIS Skype account was hacked a few days earlier and apologized for the same hacker getting me.
One of the many things I learned from Julie Wolf was that getting hacked was only part of the equation. It didn’t occur to me that the hacker also left some unwanted presents on my computer.
The very first thing she had me do was run several scans using recommended free products to remove any and all malware and keyloggers.
I am so grateful to her because had I not done this, who knows what would have been hacked next… like my banking information! Very scary!
What Should You Do If Your Skype Gets Hacked? Contact Julie Wolf!
As a Visual Digital Marketing Specialist for New Horizons 123, Julie works to grow small businesses, increasing their online visibility by leveraging the latest in internet and video technologies. She specializes in creative camera-less animated video production, custom images, content writing, and SlideShare presentations. Julie also manages content, blog management, email marketing, marketing automation, and social media for her clients.
I was glad to help you Julie (love your name too – wink).
Yes, having a back up file of your contacts is always a good idea… and possible with the right tools and know how. My mission to educate Skype users has more to share on this, especially Skype for Business.
It is Much Better and Wiser to Recover than start a new Skype account….
I am so glad we could get your Skype back from Skype Hacker Julie. I Love your Video Animation for entertaining education on Skype Hack. I appreciate you advising on the branding issue most hacked victims never consider when they get a 2nd Skype account… as well as recommending the 3 free anti-malware softwares to use suggested in my “3 Steps to Recovery” ebook.
This bitcoin-requesting hacker (or hack method) seems to be used much lately. I am so glad you allowed me to offer my Full Recovery Service to also inform your contacts of the hacker and your recovery (the “Silver Lining” being a way to get in touch and catch up with or be “in mind” with all your Skype contacts.
Skype Hack methods do change from time to time. Especially now with new loo[p whole MS opened with Skype updates… (more on that at my next Skype Hack Safety and Recovery Webinar).
That is why I give webinar for my members and guests the 4th Monday of each month. April 27th is the next one, and its a free-intro so will stay on YouTube.
I look forward to helping my SeeYouOnSkype.com members with News and what I call my “Skype 1st Aid Kit” for Hack Safety and Recovery.
See you on Skype …
Thanks so much Julie, your help was invaluable to me – I would never have thought to protect myself and would have been in deep sneakers had it not been for you expertise!
Hi Julie and Julie!
What a success story! I shared your article over on BizSugar and its getting some comments 🙂 (http://www.bizsugar.com/Resources/to-skype-hell-and-back-again-/ ) and been tweeting it out since late last week.
Why? I really want people I encounter to know that hacks like this are NOT impossible to recover from. And you tell the story in a way that is easy to grasp your horror and feel your pain. Glad there was a Skype Doctor around (talk about specializing!). 🙂
I see that Julie is having a webinar on this subject but didn’t share the link. Here it is in case anyone wants to attend: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/c2dnov104t8qk0s98sabtusdaj0
Thanks Vanessa 🙂 Horror is definitely the right word for it! Julie Wolf’s knowledge and calming effect is what is responsible for my getting my account back as well as my NOT throwing my computer out the window 🙂 Yes, Julie had the webinar today, unfortunately I was unable to attend but I do believe my testimonial stood in for me!